ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday spent a busy day as besides presiding over a meeting to review wheat situation in the country, he also chaired a meeting to discuss the proposed budgets for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the two provinces ruled by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

According to an official announcement made by the Prime Minister’s Office, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Mahmood Khan were also present in the meeting during which the Covid-19 situation and development projects in their respective provinces came under discussion.

Those who attended the meeting included Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood, Special Assistant to the PM on Information retired Lt-Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa and provincial ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Buzdar, Mahmood brief federal cabinet about proposed budgets

During the meeting, the two CMs with the assistance of their economic teams briefed the participants on the proposed expenditures and revenue targets for the financial year 2020-21 and apprised them about their priorities keeping in view the ground realities.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the coronavirus had badly affected economies all over the world. He said they were also presenting the budgets in an unusual economic situation. He called for curtailing non-development expenditures and stressed the need for increasing development budget in the provinces.

The PM asked the provincial governments to specifically focus on the projects that would create employment opportunities for the people and which ensured economic progress. He called for creation of job opportunities particularly in big cities that had been affected badly by coronavirus.

To ensure private sector’s participation in the national and provincial development projects and for completion of those projects through public-private partnership, PM Khan directed the provincial authorities that the private sector should be facilitated.

He directed the two provincial governments to focus on development of industries and agriculture. He also called for improvement in the health sector.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2020